It’s hard to stumble over something you can see. It’s the unknown, unexpected, hidden, and unobserved things that trip us up. When I was a kid at summer camp, our cabin leaders used to take us on flashlight hikes at night. And I learned that even in the dark on an unfamiliar trail with uneven terrain and many obstacles, I could maintain my footing if I just kept my light pointed straight ahead and my stride within its beam.
That’s the imagery that comes to mind when I consider the quote contained in verse 1 of John 16. Jesus had just been preparing his disciples for the inevitability of the persecution they would face. And that preparation included a reminder that they would not face it alone. The Holy Spirit would be with them. But then, before elaborating more fully on the power and scope of the Spirit’s ministry, he paused to give them another powerful promise. He said the things he’d spoken to them would keep them from stumbling.
He was assuring them that no matter how dark the circumstances, how treacherous the conditions, or how cleaver the strategies arranged against them, his words would be sufficient to enable them to keep their feet. The things he’d taught them over their three years together were not just a random assortment of nouns and verbs. Each syllable was strategically arranged to provide the bright light that would secure their steps over the path ahead.
In the next 2 verses, he reiterated the certainty and severity of the opposition they would face as well as why they would face it. But then in verse 4, he encouraged them once again that they had been fully prepared to deal it by all he’d taught them.
And this is true for all believers. The words of Jesus combined with the full array of divine commands, guidance, and wisdom contained in Holy Scripture – what the Apostle Paul described in Acts 20:27 as “the whole counsel of God” – provide all the light we need to illuminate and secure our way over, around, and through any demonic scheme to topple us.
The Bible is not just a collection of unrelated stories, sayings, and requirements. It’s a highly focused compilation of WORDS (plural) that become an incredibly powerful WORD (singular) irradiating the darkness around us. Psalm 119:105 says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” And as we carefully keep that light pointed straight ahead and our stride within its beam, the Lord’s promise to his disciples at the start of John 16 becomes ours too.
That’s why it’s critically important for Jesus-people to develop an ever-growing hunger for and knowledge of the Bible – the word of God. Our spiritual lives literally depend on it. So, please let this be a reminder not to allow another day to get away from you without spending some time in the book. Implementing a defined reading plan is a great way to approach it. But don’t allow your lack of one to intimidate you. Just open to any page, start absorbing what the Lord’s embedded there for you to discover, and ask him to reveal more of himself to you through it. He will!
Let me close by declaring over you Jude 24 to 25: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”